How will you ensure
innovation success?
Innovation success is essential to any organisation. This is more relevant today than it ever has
been, as Dr Benjamin W Watson CEng CTPD CEnv MIED LCGI makes clear
Dr Benjamin W Watson
PhD MDes/BSc (Hons) CEng CTPD CEnv
MIED LCGI
Trustee and Councillor Institution of
Engineering Designers
ISO Standards Workgroup Member
for Innovation Management Systems -
International
Innovation Leader & Lead
Research Specialist, 3M
Ben Watson has been
leading innovation and
building international
interdisciplinary teams
for over 20 years, working
across business groups
and technology platforms
– from start-ups to global
corporations – developing his own
hands-on global design experience and
high performing teams, driving innovation
forward.
He holds a PhD in Design and
Innovation, with a focus on technology
transfer success from insight through
to full innovation, from Loughborough
University Design School in the UK and
holds undergraduate qualifications
in mechanical/industrial engineering
design. He is on the Advisory Board of the
Materials and Design Exchange, Trustee
and Councillor for the Institution of
Engineering Designers and international
expert on Innovation Management
Systems with the International Standards
Organisation (ISO).
Watson is a Chartered Engineer,
Chartered Product Designer and
Chartered Environmentalist for
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sustainable design.
Not only is innovation success
necessary for continued
growth through breakthrough
innovation, it also underpins
how organisations handle the inevitable
wave of disruption experienced
through new technologies, new ways
of doing business and societal shifts.
Organisations must take a proactive
approach, turning these external
forces to their own advantage
in a reproducible way. This
is no small task and comes
with significant challenges,
as the new Innovation
Management System
(IMS) – see page 9 – has
clearly encountered. However,
every journey starts with a single
step and you will see how the new IMS
standard is taking that step in 2019.
The new ISO IMS standard is based
on seven parts, with eight innovation
principles. The benefits arising from
these principles are discussed below,
with a brief overview for each of the
seven parts. If you would like to learn
more, the IED will be running a short
workshop, for you to understand
better the standards and innovation
management principles, and to have the
opportunity to share experiences with
others, implementing their own innovation
management systems.
ISO/CD 56000
Fundamentals and vocabulary
The vocabulary standard provides
a thorough overview of innovation
fundamentals and vocabulary, the
terminology used through all parts of
the standard, with detailed definitions
that can be useful to understanding the
innovation management standard, for
both new and experienced innovation
professionals. The fundamentals and
vocabulary standard also provide a
definition for each of the eight innovation
principles (see Table 3), with key benefits
and possible actions.
ISO/FDIS 56002
Innovation management system
The Innovation management system
ISO 56002 is the overarching standard
describing the innovation management
system and its interrelated elements.
The system provides a common
framework to drive innovation, evaluate
the organisation’s current innovation
performance, ensure business continuity
and support organisational change
programmes. The more detailed 56004
Innovation Assessment includes specific
guidelines for effective IMS assessment.
ISO/TR 56004
Innovation management assessment
It is important not only to manage
innovation, but also to develop innovation
capabilities continuously. ISO 56004
offers guidance for the implementation
of an assessment programme, what
you should expect from the assessment
programme and how to select the
right approach. Regular effective
assessments of an organisation’s
innovation management system provide
a basis to measure and maintain
continuous development in a transparent
and systematic way. Assessment
provides a level of assurance for both
the organisation and partners wanting
to collaborate or engage in business.
10 www.ied.org.uk
/www.ied.org.uk